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Author
Topic: Greetings from North Carolina (Read 7219 times)

After a dubious start in the forum, I would like to introduce myself. I am a 47 year-old single gay man living in Durham, North Carolina. I worked at Burroughs Wellcome from 1981 until 1994, in clinical computing, and helped develop AZT for the AIDS indication. In 1985, I learned that I, too, was HIV+. Because of my scientific background, and because of the evidence of decreased mortality since the advent of newer classes of HIV/AIDS drugs, I firmly believe in the current models of HIV infection as the cause of AIDS. I left work to die in 1994, and was saved by the protease inhibitors. I then suffered through a significant bout of Lazarus Syndrome that has been lifted by a new self-definition as a advocate/activist for those of us living with HIV and AIDS.

I am a blogger who is open with my health status and use my real name in a red state. It takes courage, some say, to do that. Actually, I see it as living genuinely or not living well. I do not let anyone assign shame and blame to me. I have an illness. They might have an issue, but not me.

My viral load is consistently undetectible, but my cd4 counts tend to remain moderately low and fluctuate between 350 and 550. I have been very lucky, especially since I have lost about a dozen close friends over the years.

Anyway, if any of you have any questions about me or what I am about, feel free to ask.

You sound strong confident and grounded................I am glad that you have joined the forum. I believe you will be a valuable asset and friend to us all!

Welcome!

Lisa

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"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves.."Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?"

Heya welcome! You had a dubious start? If I missed anything particularly scandalous, I'll hate myself.

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"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

I'll introduce myself as the naysayer of the group I'm cantankerous, occasionally mean, often rude, but as matty says, I'm all bark and no bite. Matty's totally damned, but I'm only maybe a 1/4 way there, but I'm trying

Naturally, I take a skeptical opinion of anything, Including your proposal. It's in my nature to do so, which is why I don't participate in much

The real question i have is 'why are your links so damn huge and long?'

It's good to have some things huge and long, but never links. My constructive criticism is to shorten them up a bit like 'PositiveCarnival' or some such name. For someone to remember a huge link is near impossible in the event they lose it.

Some of your wording puzzles me a bit

Quote

and helped develop AZT for the AIDS indication.

what the heck is an 'indication'?

Quote

I firmly believe in the current models of HIV infection as the cause of AIDS.

this also puzzles me a bit....

Maybe it's just local vernacular but strikes me as odd... and being a skeptic, I question everything.... well almost everything... okay, well, after a bottle of wine, I don't question anything

edit: I hope you know i'm poking you a bit Some is serious minded like the quotes I posted, but I don't wanna scare you off thinking I'm a big nasty person...NEVER call be big... that would hurt my feelings... but you can always call me nasty

You are all very kind, even Dingoboi... . I feel welcomed, and often share my life with cantakerous people, so that is cool too. It keeps me on my toes and laughing most of the time.

My links can be shortened significantly...I wasn't aware I could use HTML in here. Hmm...I see how to insert a hyperlink, but not how to show anchor text. I will need some time to quirk through this new site, I see. (Or the kindness of strangers who will help me!)

"Indication" is a category that the FDA uses when considering a"new" drug for approval. AZT was approved for the indication of AIDS. Zovirax has been approved for the indications of herpes simplex (genital herpes) and herpes zoster (shingles), but not at the same time...there had to be two different New Drug Applications, one for each "indication". Sorry, I temporarily lapsed back into pharmaspeak without realizing it.

Dingoboi, feel free to ask me anything you want about the new Carnival. I have hosted the Tar Heel Tavern a few times and the Carnival of Bent Attractions once. Basically, these are roaming magazines that allow people to consolidate their posts with those written by others into a single online article. It then gives them access to a new audience and allows the topic "at hand" to be easily searched and located by people on the web. In the case of this Carnival, since it will be hosted on any number of sites which have non-specific readership, it should give the topic of HIV/AIDS an in-road into some mainstream blogs where the topic would not normally come up. In this way, we can share our stories with people who don't know about HIV/AIDS and raise awareness outside of just the Amen-corner and the Choir. As long as you are blogging openly and don't mind sharing your story with the world as such, this is just a way of increasing exposure to your blog and the ideas you wish to convey. Finally, this carnival is open to anyone around the world who wishes to contribute so long as their topic relates to HIV/AIDS in some way and doesn't get into offering medical advice per se or into the argument of whether safe sex is necessary or if HIV is the true cause of AIDS. For the sake of focus, I have limited this site to the assumption that current medical models for HIV as the cause of AIDS are true and that the decreased death rates in the west are evidence that targeting the virus is the correct medical approach. If this is not someone's cup of tea, they don't have to participate. The more interesting articles, having said all of that, are the human aspects of living day to day with HIV/AIDS, regardless of the medicine you take or the way you see the debate of what causes AIDS.

Again, feel free to ask me whatever concerns you about this or any other topic.

Thanks, Gerry! I figured it had to be similar, but just wasn't quite sure! So, here are my links if anyone is interested in seeing examples of blog carnivals in action using appropriate link shorteners!

Welcome...No doubt with a name like Ron Hudson you've heard more than your share of jokes. And I loved Rock Hudson. I commend you on your choice to live your life out in the open...and especially in NorthCarolinia. I don't think North Carolinia is any worse than Mississippi or Alabama. I too live my life in the open and wouldn't have it any other way. "Unto thyself Be True" has been my motto for quite some time (since 1973 actually)Again... Welcome. I hope you find this place as warm and supportive as I have.......

Thanks, David...you are so right about my name. I was positive when Rock Hudson's news hit and it created quite a few awkward moments when I was writing checks, for example, and someone would remark that they thought they had read "Rock Hudson". I eventually started responding with "In more ways than you would want to know!"

hey y'all from Charlotte, Greensboro and Winston-Salem...good to see all the Tar Heels here...

Rob, I was in Dublin last July. I traveled Europe for 6 weeks shooting a film about freedom, gay marriage and HIV/AIDS in public perception, so I was interviewing strangers on the streets. I went to the George in Dublin. Where are you in Ireland?

I was fairly certain with your name being so closely resembling Rock's there would be alot of fallout.Comments and jokes and the like. When he showed up on Dynasty, I couldn't believe the dramatic change and yetI thought about all those rumors back in the seventies about him and Gomer Pyle. Having had many friends who had already died from Aids by the mid eighties...I was dead certain (pardon the expression) that he was indeed Full Blown.I came to respect Linda Evans...all those kisses she and Rock shared on the show. I say with much confidence...you'regoing to fit in well here..........

(I know that I risk being incorrect that you speak French, being from Belgium, but if not, we can be francophone friends.)

We can always speak English, of course, Hermie....I have a close friend in Brusselles who lost his partner back around 1994. I wrote and dedicated a poem to these guys which you can find at Telling Tales (For Daniel and Serge). I hope to get to know you better.

Teresa, I love chimps, but that is the first one I have known with that shade of lipstick!

Thanks, Mark...wow, Malta! That is pretty amazing. I was near-ish to you last summer. I was visiting friends in Mallorca and then was as far south as Naples in Italy. Do you know anyone from Gozo? I have a poetry acquaintance from there.

Thanks, Mark...wow, Malta! That is pretty amazing. I was near-ish to you last summer. I was visiting friends in Mallorca and then was as far south as Naples in Italy. Do you know anyone from Gozo? I have a poetry acquaintance from there.

Ron

Wow indeed Ron . My dad is from Gozo and my brother joins poetry nights on Gozo!. That is amazing when you consider there is only a population of some 21,000 people on that Island. Small world. The beach on my pic is on Gozo. Its the Island of the oldest free standing temple in world, older then the pyramids and some 1000 years older then stonehenge. You have to make a drop further south next time round Pleased to meet you Ron.

In that case, you must know the poetry of Mariella Cassar. She is one of the poets featured in the Other Voices Poetry International Project of which I am part as well. I would love to meet her! Next time I make it to the Meditteranean, I will have to visit!

Hi Ron, Thks for link. I am not into poetry myself. My brother just published a 2nd book of poems (in English). I try to find a link and pass it on to you.. I will mention her to him next time I see him. I have no doubt there is a connection somewhere. Would be a pleasure meeting you when you visit. I will pass you my contacts in a pm.l I am sure Mariella will too .